Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education
Postgraduate
UND-HPE-GCE 2025Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
For educators working in medicine, nursing, and allied health settings
This industry-focussed postgrad qualification enables you to develop your educational practice in both clinical and non-clinical environments. Study learning and facilitation theory and techniques. Gain formal recognition of your educational expertise.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Applications close
- 2 Feb 2025,
- 6 July 2025
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 6 months full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 4
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education
About this degree
Upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education, graduates will be able to:
- Examine learning theories underpinning educational practice and scholarship and apply them effectively within the health education context.
- Analyse contemporary issues within health professional education and their significant influence on the application of educational practice.
- Engage in reflective practice to promote life-long learning.
This Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education is a highly practical degree designed to meet the unique learning needs of educators in health professional contexts who wish to extend their understanding of learning theory to their workplace. This postgraduate program is aimed at health professional educators in medicine, nursing and allied health settings in academic and/or clinical contexts. Acknowledging complex lives and multiple priorities this degree is flexible. The self-directed courses are delivered fully online, allowing content to be accessed at a time, place and pace that best suits you. This postgraduate degree, extends your understanding of learning theory, contemporary educational issues, clinical reasoning and supervision. The Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education is an articulated qualification that forms the foundation for the Graduate Diploma and/or Master of Health Professional Education.
Recommended study pattern
To be eligible for the award of Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education students must complete -
- A minimum of 25 Units of Credit consisting of 1 Compulsory course (MEDI5121) ; and
- 75 Units of Credit from three (3) Elective courses chosen from
- MEDI5110
- MEDI5124
- EDUC5116
- EDUC5117
- MEDI5123
- EDUC5009
Award requirements
To be eligible for the award of Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education students must complete a minimum of 25 Units of Credit consisting of the one (1) Compulsory course, and 75 Units of Credit from three (3) Elective courses.
Degrees are usually made up of core subjects and electives. Some degrees include a choice of majors, so you can focus your studies on a specialisation.
This list is a general overview. Download the full Degree Guide for more information.
Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.
Indicative total fee $13,965
The amount shown here is indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.
Fees may vary depending on:
- the subjects you choose
- credit from previous work experience
- your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.
To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.
The University of Notre Dame Australia is committed to delivering an excellent student experience, alongside a high standard of teaching, research, and training. As a leader in ethical education, Notre Dame aims to develop students’ critical reasoning and their ability to make ethical decisions—crucial skills to progressing their careers and leading purposeful lives. At Notre Dame, students navigate their future with an ethical education online.
Learn more about UNDA.
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- 37
Entry requirements
To be eligible for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education applicants must also meet the following specific requirements:
- As a minimum qualification, a recognised Bachelor degree in a health profession or equivalent professional experience in health professional education, and;
- An active involvement in health professional education – applicants need to demonstrate their teaching experience in a health professional environment which can include but not limited to:
- Any clinical or hospital education-based position, or any position in which they supervise students in daily work routines (for example, people supervising undergraduate nurses, physios, doctors, medical interns, registrars, etc.)
- Work in a health-based school in academia or TAFE
- Work in a multidisciplinary team of health professionals
- Provide education/supervision to members or students
- Work in a health professional context, such as health scientist teaching in a school of medicine or veterinary clinic/hospitals
- People with health professional degrees and working in physio, OT, or social work.
English as primary language
All primary and secondary education was taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country, Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, Ireland, Canada (except Quebec), and New Zealand, or;
You have Completed 2+ years or full time equivalent tertiary study in English only at an institution in Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, Ireland, Canada (except Quebec), and New Zealand, or;
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assessment, or an equivalent English language proficiency assessment, with an overall IELTS (or equivalent) score of 7.0, with no individual band score below 7.0.
All English language tests are valid for two years from the date of completion.
Applications for Advanced Standing and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) will be considered and reviewed on a case by case basis by UNDA's Student Administration.
Career opportunities
The Graduate Certificate In Health Professional Education affords the student an opportunity to formalise their educational practice so they can transition from informal to formal recognition of their educational expertise in the public or private health and academic sectors.
Career outlook
- Nurse Educators and Researchers:
- $93K to $120K
- Training and Development Professionals:
- $93K to $120K
Degree FAQs
How long does it take to finish an online degree?
That's up to you! Because we let you choose when to study online, you can actually pick up and pause study when it suits you. Many universities have a set time you need to complete your degree within. For some this is up to 10 years, and for others there is no limit.
There are some degrees that are stricter about when you can take breaks, and about how many years you can take to complete your degree. Please always check with your uni what the limits are.
As a general guide, Commonwealth supported place students have 10 years to finish their undergraduate degree through OUA, However, if you're studying with Griffith University, there's a limit of 8 years to complete your studies. If you want to take a break that lasts more than two study terms, you'll need to apply for a leave of absence. You can apply for a leave of absence for up to 12 months, as long as you complete your studies within the maximum time allowed for your degree.
If you're studying with Macquarie University, with the exception of certain degrees, there's no limit to how long you can take. But, please check with Macquarie Student Administration to be sure.
If you're studying with the University of Adelaide, you have up to 9 years to complete your undergraduate degree and graduate.
If you're studying with La Trobe University and want to take a break of minimum 1 study term, you must apply for leave of absence to avoid being inadvertently withdrawn from your degree.
Through OUA, you can study all year round, so it's possible to fast-track and finish up sooner than studying at a traditional uni would allow. That said, you need to spend around 12 hours a week on each undergraduate subject you do, so taking on extra work to finish ahead of time can be challenging.
How can I pay for my studies?
You may be eligible for a HELP loan from the Australian government, depending on your citizenship status and where you'll be living during your studies. You can also pay upfront with your credit card.
Payment options are explained in Fees, and you can contact a student advisor for more information.
How does studying through Open Universities Australia work?
You might find learning through OUA a little different to how you've studied in the past. It can take time to develop the skills you need for independent online study.
We connect you with subjects and degrees that are taught by leading Australian universities. You can complete single subjects, or follow a degree structure to work towards a specific qualification. Subjects are offered in several study terms throughout the year, so you can choose to study part-time or full-time, continuously or with breaks.
We help you find the subjects or degree that's right for you, and we handle your enrolment in uni and some administration. Your uni sends you your study materials and deals with all academic matters. They're also in charge of your assessment and graduation. If you go on to complete a degree, you'll graduate from the uni offering your degree, for example, RMIT University or Griffith University.
How do I know if I‘m eligible to apply for a course?
Before starting an enrolment, it's important to read the entry requirements for your chosen course to ensure that you're eligible to apply. If you don't quite meet the requirements, we can help you find a pathway into your course through open-entry subjects, which anyone can study. Contact us to find out more.
When is my cut-off date for enrolment?
Our close of enrolment times vary. You can check the cut-off dates for upcoming study terms by visiting Key dates.
Why should I study online through Open Universities Australia?
There are a lot of reasons to study your course online through us.
You can enrol without entry requirements
We have a unique open-door policy that makes it possible for everyone to enrol in university study, no matter their academic history. If you don't meet the entry requirements for a degree, we'll help you get in through single undergraduate subjects and transition into a qualification from there.
You have total control over how you study
Upskill without committing to a whole degree upfront. Or enrol in a full degree, but take it a subject at a time. We'll introduce you to flexible study options you didn't even know about, so you can fit uni around what matters to you.You'll graduate with the same qualification as an on-campus student
Once you enrol through us, you'll study online with the university that provides your degree. This means that when you complete your qualification, you'll graduate with the same degree as on-campus students.We'll help you navigate the university world
Our friendly student advisors will be your guide every step of the enrolment journey. They'll help you compare universities, choose a course, provide documentation and understand your finance options.
How do I enrol?
Here at Open Universities Australia, we make enrolling online as straightforward as possible. To get started, find the course for you by browsing the options on this page. You can also compare different qualifications using our handy comparison tool, or request help from one of our student advisors.
When you've made your choice, click 'Apply now' on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We'll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.
Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.
If you get stuck at any time, reach out to a student advisor and we'll talk you through it.
You can also take a look at our online self-service enrolling instructions.